PORTLAND, Ore. — These games against these types of teams on national stages are the ones in which the Nuggets haven proven to play their best. Just one of the many quirks of a team that hovers around .500.

But when the competition rises, the Nuggets play has as well, and Thursday night was no different against the Portland Trail Blazers, who entered the game with one of the NBA's best records. They just didn't have enough to finish it off.

The Nuggets competed but fell to Portland 110-105 at the Moda Center for two main reasons: LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews.

When the Nuggets threatened to break the game wide open, those two wouldn't let it happen. When Portland needed a big basket, one of those two usually stepped up to get the job done. And in the end, the Nuggets' playmakers couldn't match that duo big play for big play.

"He's tough," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said of Aldridge. "He's been having these kinds of games against everybody. I thought we let Wesley Matthews get off a little bit too much, in the first half especially. So he kind of kept them in it."

Aldridge shot free throws to "MVP!" chants, and he played like one, finishing with a career-high 44 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. By the end, the Nuggets couldn't do anything with him. If they played behind him, he caught the entry pass and shot over the top of the defender. If they fronted him, Portland lobbed a pass over the top, allowing him to catch near the rim where he'd either score or get fouled. It was a no-win situation, except for the fact that he helped the Nuggets ever so slightly by missing 3-of-4 free throws in one stretch. But that didn't last.

"Too many open looks for him," Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson said. "I think he got too comfortable. And with a guy like that, the type of player he is, when he gets comfortable it's not much you can do. I feel like we contested most of his shots. He had a lot of open looks late in the fourth."

Matthews, meanwhile, had 24 points and four assists.

But when Timofey Mozgov hit a short hook shot, the Nuggets had a 103-102 lead with 1:27 left. Aldridge answered with two free throws to put Portland back on top.

The Nuggets weren't done. Randy Foye hit a floater with 1:01 left to give the Nuggets the lead back at 105-104.

But they would be the last points the Nuggets scored.

Two more Aldridge free throws put Portland up for good at 106-105. Ty Lawson missed a jumper, Aldridge got the rebound, was fouled and made two more. With a three-point lead, Portland withstood a couple of late chances by the Nuggets, and Aldridge made more free throws, helping his team hold on for the victory.

"They got hot at the right time," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried said. "We fought them all the way to the fourth quarter, but they have an All-Star player in Aldridge... We kept fighting, but just couldn't pull it out."

The Nuggets put six players in double figures, led by Wilson Chandler's 18 points. Lawson had another double-double of 13 points and 11 assists, but 22 turnovers — which were turned into 28 points — helped do in the Nuggets.

"I think our offense, especially in the fourth quarter, failed us tonight," Shaw said. "I thought we had played a pretty decent game for a good 40 minutes, 42 minutes... but didn't play a complete 48-minute game. Obviously, when you play a team of this caliber on their home floor you cannot commit 22 turnovers for 28 points. You cannot give up 16 offensive rebounds. You can't send them to the free throw line 34 times."